Siena Heights men's basketball struggles in 2nd half

The Siena Heights University men's basketball team stayed closed for the first half, but Indiana Tech pulled away in the second half for a 77-45 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference win Saturday.

Indiana Tech held a 35-29 lead at halftime, but shot 62 percent from the floor after the break. The Saints and Warriors traded leads early in the game, with Siena taking a 15-10 lead following 7-0. However, the Warriors went on a 16-4 tear and never looked back.

Siena coach Joe Pechota said his team played well in spurts, but just don't have the consistency on offense, yet. Against a team as talented as Indiana Tech, it is important to think ahead and not just react.

"Things can get out of hand in a hurry," Pechota said. "You have to be thinking one play or one pass ahead, so that when something happens, you are ready for it."

At the start of the second half, Siena committed three turnovers as the Warriors scored the first six points of the half. The Saints' first points of the second half came on a pair of free throws by Ryan Hopson at the 16:17 mark. By that time, Indiana Tech was up 41-29 and methodically pulled away, outscoring the Saints 42-16 in the second half.

The Saints (2-8, 2-4 WHAC) were led by Hopson with 12 points and Latwan Wesley with 10. Freshmen JaVon Flowers and Cody Johnson started for Siena and each pulled down six rebounds.

The Warriors (11-2, 5-1) had four players in double figures. Jordan Hickman led the way with 20 points, Anton io Landers had 15, while Kody Chandler and Melvin Brooks both had 13. Brooks also pulled down seven rebounds.

Indiana Tech was 10-for-17 from 3-point range and hit 55 percent of their field goals. The Saints hit only 5 of 22 in the second half for a shooting percentage of 22.7 percent and shot 31.4 percent for the night.

"We started a shorter lineup and did our best to match up with them," Pechota said. "(Coach) Al's (Grushkin) got a good team. They are very versatile. We just have to learn to carry over from practice to the game. We play well in practice, but when it comes game time, the level of intensity gets higher and you have to learn to control yourself."

The Saints will not play again until Saturday, Dec. 15 when they travel to Lawrence Tech. Pechota said the team has put itself in a must-win situation.

"I don't like to do that this early in the season, but I told our guys that's where we are now," he said.